All is fair in love and war
by To be loved is to be destroyed
Summary: This story takes place after season 7. Gibbs' dad is kidnapped by the drugs cartel so Tony and Ziva have gone to Mexico under Gibbs' orders to bring him back. The director not wanting to make it too official just helped them with their transportation.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

**The mission**

**Hey everyone, I would like to thank my beta ****Katrina DiNozzo who really helped me out! So ****I'm not really writing much about the action and the case it's more the romance between Tony and Ziva. I hope you like it! Please leave a review! :D**

"Ok this is it. We go, we find Gibbs' dad and we bring him back," Tony informed her, a look on his face that clearly said 'I'm the boss'.

"Ok DiNozzo let's do it" Ziva replied.

After hours of trying to track down leads about where Gibbs' dad might be they finally found the place. It was a small building with only two rooms. The back room contained the prisoner. Both rooms were guarded.

"Ok, we get in. I shoot the guard one the right side and you the one's on the left side. Deal?" Ziva asked. She pretty much enjoyed missions like that, she missed them too. When she was in Israel she would never thought she would miss fighting missions but now that she had had plenty of time to do that, she was looking forward to it.

"Deal, on my signal." Tony replied. He –on the other hand- never missed missions like these that he could get killed or something. He wasn't so good at them. With a gun he was but when it came for brute force he was out with the first hit.

They got in and shot everyone. It was a pretty easy win. They were worried of what was waiting them in the next room. The opened the door and everyone stated shooting. Neither Tony nor Ziva was hurt; everything was going pretty well until both them and the enemy run out of bullets. So the fighting started. Tony tried to fight as well as he could but he was obviously doing bad, really bad.

Ziva, on the other hand, was doing great. She killed the first ten guys including the leader of this small unit. She was careful so Gibbs' dad wouldn't be hurt. Then she found same more bullets and shot the guys that were fighting with Tony. Then, while shooting the last guy, she was shot herself. The leader of the unit was not dead. She had failed so he found a gun and shot her twice in the back.

She showed no obvious sign of pain. She just froze so did Tony, and the two guys- the one she was read to shoot and the one who shot her. Then she shot the guys that previously attracted Tony and then turned around to the leader. He tried to shot her again but he had run out of bullets so she shot him and this time she killed him. Then she sat down to relax.

"Are you okay sir?" Tony said, first looking at Ziva and then at Gibbs' dad.

"I'm fine just my leg…" He answered.

"It's okay we'll help you out." Tony said as he untied the ropes that held him to the chair he was sitting in.

Ziva cut some from some dead man's shirt and tied it around her waist so the blood would stop.

"Let's go, we don't have much time before the plain leaves", she said looking at Tony like saying that she was okay.

They both helped Gibbs' dad get up and walk, they had parked quite far away so that the guards wouldn't see them approaching. Tony kept on looking at her weirdly. He couldn't believe it. She had just been shot and she seemed fine! She even was helping him carry Gibbs' dad!

"Are you sure that you're fine Ziva?" He finally asked, tired of waiting and wondering.

"Don't worry about me. I will be fine. We have a first aid kit in the car. I will be fine." She answered.

But Tony could now understand that she wasn't. She was just hiding it, she almost tricked him but he knew her better than that. But he said nothing, because there was indeed a first aid kit in the car and as soon as they got there she would be fine.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: **

**He thought he loved her.**

Tony, Ziva and Gibbs' dad finally found the car. Ziva had started to assist Gibbs' dad in sitting down in the back of the car while Tony opened the trunk and started to search the cluttered and small area for the first aid kit. He was desperately trying to find it but their trunk was more of a mess than his one back in D.C. It wasn't actually their car as they rented it when they had arrived Mexico. He didn't even know if there was a first aid kit! And then he spotted a hand appearing through the small hole in the back (he could barely see it) and watched it start to pull something hidden below the towels. It was Ziva, he guessed, she had found the kit and she was holding it in front of his face smiling ironically. If shouted she still had that irony all over her face. Tony closed the trunk and got into the car.

She opened the box, while Tony was trying to see how bad Gibbs' father foot was. She frowned for a while but then she went to help Tony.

"Let me, I found antiseptic and bandages. It will do until we get home. How much time do we have until the plane leaves?" she asked and put out the antiseptic, starting to put it on Gibbs' dad wound.

"Half an hour. Can you do this thing while we are moving?" he asked.

"Sure let's go."

Tony was driving fast while Ziva was fighting with the bandages. After almost 20 minutes the arrived at the airport. They got into the plane fast. They had made it. For a while no one talked for a while. After some minutes –when they had left Mexico's air for good- Tony helped Gibbs' father to lie and sleep.

"He'll be fine, after we land we'll get him in the hospital and everything is going to be alright." Ziva said, looking at Tony and noticing a worried look look on his face.

"I know, it's the psychological things that worry me." He replied, not looking away from the spot on the floor that he had suddenly found to be interesting.

"Well as they say 'time heals everything'." Ziva answered, smiling and speaking from experience.

He looked away from the floor and looked at her, he noticed that she was still bleeding.

"You're bleeding. Didn't you take care of your wounds?" He asked, worried.

"The antiseptic and the bandages were enough for only one person", she said trying to smile but failing.

"What?" he asked, shocked at the revelation.

"You get orders, you may not like them but you follow them that's why they're called orders,"she said trying to smile and failing yet again, "our orders this time were to protect him."

"Ziva you have to do something let me see the wound. Have you put any bandages on you at least?" He asked.

"Yes. You don't need to see it, I'll be fine Tony don't worry!" She said.

"I'm going to kill Gibbs", he muttered.

"Which one of the two", she said smiling.

"The younger one", he said seriously and not at all smiling.

"You don't need to worry about me so much, I will be fine. But if you want to kill Gibbs I think Paloma and her brother must have a club." Ziva joked.

"You think they got T-shirts?" he replied, finally smiling.

"Look I'll take a nap. You stop worrying", Ziva said.

After an hour, while Tony was checking if Gibbs' dad was alright he noticed that Ziva's wound was bleeding hard. He'd been so worried for Ziva since she got back from Somalia and this time he knew she was really bad, so he decided to wake her up and help her no matter what she would say. That was when he noticed that she wasn't sleeping – she had passed out. When she said she was going to take a nap she was lying, she knew she was going to pass out she just didn't want to worry him. He should have known, Ziva never takes a nap.

_Never._

He didn't know what to do. He considered the possibility of waking Gibbs' father up, just in case he knew something about what to do in this situation, but he didn't want to worry the old man, especially after what he had been through. So instead, he turned Ziva around and raised her blouse a little bit so he would be able to see what was wrong. The bullet was still inside, but he could see that it was hadn't hit any vital organs because the bullet was still near the flesh – it had barely even hit any muscle – but there was still a seriously worrying amount of blood coming out. He took a knife and carefully removed the bullet.

Then he saw it. It seemed that near the wound there was a scar. He could not see how big the scar was so he left that for another time. But he couldn't remember Ziva having any scar there. He has seen her with a swim suit before Vance separated the team in L.A. and there had definitely been no scar then. One thing came to his mind: Somalia. But he had no more time to think he should stop the bleeding immediately.

He looked at his watch. They had 30 minutes until they landed. So he took the bandage he had removed before spilled water on it and he tied it hard around her wound so the bleeding would stop for a while. He searched the plane and asked the pilots for any first aid kit but there was none. This was it. He just hoped Ziva was strong enough to handle this. A thought passed from his head, what if she died? Then he would definitely kill Gibbs or Paloma. He could not think of Ziva dead after all they've been through he could not.

For a moment he got lost in his thoughts, remembering every moment with her. She may was an arrogant, sometimes annoying but he could not think of any other person that he had risked so much and he would risk even more. He could not think of anyone for whom he risked his life, of anyone that had helped him so many times, of anyone that had been such a good friend to him of anyone he would love no matter what. But that was another thing; he hadn't still cleared up if he loved her as a friend or as something else. The only thing he was sure about it was that he loved her, only that.

And then something brought him back to reality, more like someone. Gibbs' father was awake. He seemed better but when he saw Ziva lying down with her eyes shut he knew something was wrong.

"What happened?" he said worried.

"Nothing sir, everything is going to be okay." Tony replied seriously.

"No it's not. She is lying there half-dead!" he answered loudly, a shocked undertone to his voice..

When Tony heard those two words he made a weird expression but then he continued, "the antiseptic wasn't enough for both of you. She gave it to you so she passed out. But there is no need to worry sir, we are landing…", he looked at his watch and only then he realized that they were landing right now. All this time he was thinking about Ziva… "Now."

"That's good. Are you sure she going to be fine?" he replied worried.

"Positive", Tony said stood up, helped Gibbs' dad to do the same and waited for the door to open.

He knew that there was still hope; he wanted more than anything to believe that everything was going to be alright. He thought that he loved her…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Maybe

Tony stood, nearly frozen, outside her hospital room. He had been there for a considerably high, and slightly worrying, amount of hours but he had never summoned up the courage to go in, he was too scared to. The doctors had told him that Ziva had been stabilized and that so far everything was going according to plan, but the next 24 hours would be critical. She had fallen into a coma, and, according to at least 5 (too young) doctors, she had so for many reasons. She had lost a worrying amount of blood, and fast – they were still transfusing her with more. There had been scar tissue from a previous wound that had caused complications, too many complications. The scar, he assumed, she had gotten in Somalia had nearly killed her.

Somalia – it all came down to that.

Tony thought about Ziva. Thought about some of the few memories that she didn't laugh ironically, but she sounded truly happy. She had been smiling, flirting with him as always. He never minded that was how they were and it was fun, even if they were best friends, he was starting to realize that his feelings ran deeper.

He simply wished he knew more; about her, about what had happened in Somalia. He knew that she would never do it willingly, unasked; so he had to press her, gently of course. He knew it was difficult to talk for things like that but he had to, as said before, press her without opening up the old wounds. He had to, but for some reason he didn't. He decided that he would as soon as she woke up.

So he just stood there outside her room, frozen to the spot. His mind drifted and darker thoughts flooded his mind; what if she didn't wake up? What if she died? And then he thought of the things he wanted to tell her and may never had the chance to. All these complicated feelings and emotions – he didn't deal well with either. when she woke up he would tell her everything. She would wake up, she would because she simply had to.

He had been thinking for hours and hours but nothing made sense. All their flirting, teasing, slightly romantic bantering, it all seemed so innocent but then memories came to his head. Their time I Paris, him saying that he couldn't live without her when they were in Somalia (it still came down to that god-forsaken place). So everything was getting complicated again. But then someone interrupted his thoughts. It was Abby leaving Ziva's room. She had came an hour ago.

"Hey, I'm going home. Are you going to be ok?" Abby asked with a sweet and sympathetic smile plastered her face. A fake smile – she couldn't smile when Ziva was like that.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be? After all I'm not the one in a coma." Tony replied, a hint of bitterness in his voice. He didn't want to sound bitter, but it was all he could do to stop himself from screaming at the injustice of the situation.

"Look Tony we are all worried about you." Abby told him, sitting down on his discarded chair.

"We?" Tony replied – who should be worried about him?

"You know; McGee, Ducky, Palmer, me, Gibbs. Well actually Gibbs is more worried about you breaking his rules." She teased gently. "Just go home or get inside her room some time this century."

"I'll be ok Abs. Just… the one moment she was there and then… I'll be fine. You can tell Gibbs not to worry for his rule." Tony knew he was lying, he hated it too. Only then, when Abby told him how worried everyone was for him, he realized just how much he had missed Ziva, how much he wanted to get into that room but he was too scared to, how much he loved her…

"Ok, goodnight." Abby sighed, before smiling again and stood up to leave.

"Wait, I'm coming", he replied softly.

It was too much for him. He needed to rest and tomorrow he would finally visit her. Now that he could look in her face and tell her the truth. Tell her how much he loved her. And who knew maybe she would share his feelings, or at least hear his confession, and maybe, just maybe, she would wake up.

Maybe.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

**A new beginning**

Ziva was lying in the hospital bed, peaceful and silent. Tony entered the room quietly, taking a seat next to Ziva's bed, even though it has been nearly a month since the 'incident', it only felt like a day to him. He didn't know what to do any more. He had never seen Ziva like this before. Even in Somalia she still had that fighting look but now she was lying in a bed, and the worst part? No one knew if she was ever going to wake up. McGee entered the room after a while. He sat next to him quietly as he had been doing all these days. Even for him it was hard.

Every time that a mission seemed to be going according to plan something bad happened – something went wrong. Every single time – always – without fail. McGee truly hated it, but this time it was different. When Kate died he didn't know what to do, and the circumstances were so similar to the present, except this time it was Ziva. The one that he had thought of as untouchable. But he had to be strong - for Tony.

"She didn't tell me anything - not even a goodbye, she just said she was going to take a nap." Tony informed him softly, breaking the tension in the small room and pulling the other man from his thoughts.

"Did she ever say goodbye? Israel, Somalia, this? Never.", McGee replied, smiling slightly as he recalled finding Ziva and other memories. They weren't quite the best, but he loved every single one of them - because his team was in there. Tony faked a smile – McGee could tell easily.

"I'll see you outside." McGee said and left the room leaving Tony alone with Ziva.

She looked calm. Tony was sure that she had never been so calm before. Silence filled the hospital room - only her heart beat could be heard – and then, all of a sudden, her heart beat started to speed up and become slightly erratic – as if she was panicking. Maybe she thought she was going to die? Tony panicked, he thought he was losing her again and quickly called the doctors.

They got him out of the room. They wouldn't tell him nor Gibbs what was happening but he knew. They didn't need to tell him to understand. She was dying. He was really losing her

After an hour, the doctors came out. Everyone was there. McGee called and informed them about the previous events. They were all unable to leave, worry quite literally locking them in the room. The doctor came out with a sad look on his face. They all expected to hear that she was dead. Abby was holding McGee's hand so tight that under other circumstances he would scream in pain – but he didn't mind, it was providing him some comfort. Gibbs sat with a silent and serious look hiding his fears and worries for Ziva; next to him was Ducky, for once he was silent, unable to find a story that he could compare this too. Tony was as pale as a ghost; unsure how to react. A feeling akin to numbness engulfed him.

Another doctor came out of Ziva's room. He wasn't smiling either.

"I have some bad news and some good news." The doctor began with a serious look on his face.

"I think we all need to hear some good news." Barked Gibbs, his curiosity and worry masking itself in an angry tone.

"Well she is awake and alive!" The doctor replied, a smile on his face.

"If she's okay then what's the bad news?" Abby asked not knowing what to expect.

"Oh, well nothing part of the joke. She'll have a little scar on her back, it could cause some pain and there is still the risk of infection, but.." The doctor smiled again. "you can see her tomorrow one at a time, from 8:00a.m. till 19:00p.m. She's resting now."

Everyone felt relief wash over them at the news; happy smiles on their faces.. They would be able to talk to her again and Tony could finally mak peace with himself. It was a new beginning. This time fate had been kind to them.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

To know the truth

"I want to know what happened. How I was, what you were saying to me while I was asleep-" He looked shocked at that. She quickly continued. "I didn't hear you, well, I don't think I did, but I know you all would anyway, even though it's useless talking to someone that can't really listen to you or see you, you would talk to them because that is what you do. Most of the times you tell them things that under other circumstance you would never say or that you'll never say again, but I would like to know." Ziva started talking after a long period of silence between her and Tony.

"Well you didn't miss a lot. Jackson is fine and Paloma is dead. Game over." Tony replied, he was unable to replicate her cheerful mood.

"Are you kidding me? No one to fight?" Tony looked at her surprised, and raised his eyebrows. Only Ziva would be disappointed because of that. A short pause followed before she started to speak again, this time in as softer, he would even go as far to describe it as scared, voice. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you. I just didn't want to worry you".

"Yeah? How did that go?" He regretted his words the second they left his lips. He didn't mean to be bitter, but the worry and fear that had built up over the past agonizing months was forcing its way up, needing an escape route or it would exlode - and that was one thing he couldn't do right now. He couldn't explode or breakdown because Ziva needed him.

"Okay, I'm sorry it was a stupid thing to do. You are…" It really should not be this hard to say, she mused. The words were on her lips - she was just unable to say them.

"I am what?" He asked with a smirk in his face. Try and get back to normal, try – just try – to fix this.

"Ok, you are right!" Ziva answered, looking like a toddler who had been made to eat something she didn't like. It was rather amusing – from Tony's point of view anyway.

"Ha! I am right you admitted it! Wait, wait; I want to record it. Say it one more time!" Tony laughed as he started to fish around in his pockets for his phone. Banter - that was what they needed - and, in all honesty - it was true. He was right. He had to forcce himself not to do a little dance there and then.

"You know Tony; in Israel they taught as how to kill someone will we were on a hospital bed. You want to try?" she replied without laughing back at him. Her expression was deadly serious, eerily calm, with an almost teasing glint in her eyes.

"Nice joke…" He smiled, but then he saw how serious she was. "Not a joke?"

They both laughed. They were slowing but surely falling back into their normal routine – as normal as it could get for them anyway... Until an unexpected visitor came the next day while Abby was in Ziva's room.

"Shalom", Eli greeted, walking into the room.

"What are you doing here?" Ziva replied, the smile she had one moment ago disappeared. She could barely breathe, the sight of him putting an ounce of fear into her veins.

"A father should visit his daughter while she is in the hospital." Eli answered while trying to smile.

"Abbs, can you leave us alone for just a second?" Ziva said, partially ignoring what her father just told her.

"Of course, see you tomorrow.", Abby replied while leaving the room worried.

"So you're leaving tomorrow? That is good." Eli said and sat in the chair near Ziva's bed.

"Make yourself at home." Ziva replied bitterly. "What are you doing here?"

"I told you before", he said.

"You didn't care when I was a prisoner in Somalia, why would you now?"

"Look Ziva, I'm sorry about what happened with Michael." he said.

Ziva didn't reply she looked outside the window. She was angry, she was barely keeping herself together, it took all of her willpower not to say anything. How dare he? After everything that had happened; he talked about him?

"When you decided to stay, I gave you the mission. You were captured but you knew I couldn't come; it was against the rules that keep Israel..." He couldn't find the Mossad is no NCIS – we cannot find loopholes and risk that many lives!" He continued, "then when you were rescued you sent me that e-mail, you remember? You said you wanted to stay there, be a normal agent. What was I supposed to do?"

"Nothing. I'm just surprised that's all", she replied with a sad look. Every time she looked at his face she remembered only one thing - Michael.

"I'm going to stay here for a couple of days. I also have business with director Vance", he said smiling as if he thought that everything would be okay – she knew that 'okay' was far from the truth. "I'll leave you to rest. See you later".

He gave her a kiss and left. She was left thinking about Michael and what happened again. She wanted to know more, she wanted to know the truth. After all these time she had to know the truth.


End file.
